Protect Corn From Raccoons: Even Learn a Trick with Squash Plants

Raccoons are crafty critters, but one thing they like to be able to do while eating is to stand up and look around occasionally. If they’re breaking into your corn crop, you can take advantage of this tendency by planting other vegetables around the corn plants.

Plants That Deter Raccoons from Corn

Plants that will deter raccoons from cornstalks are squash, gourds, or pumpkins. As they grow, the vines will climb up the stalks, significantly reducing visibility, which will make the corn less attractive to the raccoons.

Plus, raccoons and other animals find the texture of their foliage to be uncomfortable, so they’re more likely to stay away. The fact that you can end up with another edible crop is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Raccoons also like to eat peas and potatoes, so keep an eye on those crops, too.

How to Identify Raccoon Corn Damage

Here are signs to identify raccoon corn damage:

1. Tracks around the cornstalks and on leaves and husks.
2. Claw marks on stalks.
3. Broken cornstalks. Sometimes raccoons will stand on legs to reach low corncobs. When they climb the stalks, they break and fall over.
4. Raccoons do not eat cornhusks. They will peel husks down to eat corn.

Don’t Attract Raccoons to the Garden

Make sure you are not attracting raccoons to the yard. Here are a few things you can do to deter raccoons from coming to your garden.

1. Don’t feed or interact with the raccoons. They will keep coming back for a food source.
2. Don’t leave standing water in the yard or garden. Dump any standing water daily so they will not come into the area for water.
3. Get rid of food sources. This includes debris from the garden. Be sure not to throw rotten vegetables in the yard. Also, secure compost so that it will not attract raccoons.